By Andrew Laing, PhD, Director, DEGW
Want to see a city that expresses the thrumming energy of modern American industrial capitalism at its apogee? See Buffalo, 1905. I went there last weekend and was astonished by the legacy of the urban architecture that tells an impressive story about the role of architecture in re-imagining space and the city for a super dynamic economy.

Start with Darwin D. Martin, the organizational genius who rose from selling soap on the streets of New York to become a senior executive of the Larkin Company. The Larkin Company was in effect a kind of Google or Amazon of its day: using modern systems of information (card indexes of customers) to optimize commercial relationships with consumers distributed widely across the continent linked together by mail order. Darwin Martin then found an architectural genius in the form of Frank Lloyd Wright who helped him re-imagine how the functional design of the workplace for the Administration Building of the Larkin Company could take their business to new level of effectiveness. Tragically, the Larkin Building was demolished in 1940.

But Darwin Martin also was inspired to use Frank Lloyd Wright to design a complex of residential buildings for his extended family and servants: The Martin House. Here Frank Lloyd Wright was able to explore the creation of a series of linked building in an urban landscape. A lengthy process of restoration and reconstruction now reveals the amazing ideas for domestic living that Wright created for the Martins. Flowing rooms and connected indoor/outdoor spaces open up to the landscape. A brilliant visitor center designed by Toshiko Mori is placed next to the house.

Just as the Larkin Building revolutionized how the design of office space could accelerate the flow of ideas and information, the Martin House suggests how living might be reinvented in the early twentieth century. Both of these commissions for Frank Lloyd Wright remind us that in our own age of fast growing global cities we need bold, daring and radical collaborations between clients, users, and architects to re-imagine our urban ways of living and working.

Our friends over at Loosecubes have kicked off the Summer Coworking Challenge– a month-long campaign to raise the awareness of coworking. From June 6th – July 4th, Loosecubes will be promoting coworking to the masses and encouraging potential coworkers to give it a try (and have fun doing it). Loosecubes members will be able to book any space in the community at no charge.

So, challenge yourself to be happier, more productive, and better connected. Try coworking for FREE and join the movement toward a better way of working.

For more information and to get involved in the Summer Coworking Challenge, click here.

If you are interested in booking a loosecube at DEGW, check out our space profile!

By Peter Bacevice,
How often does a fast growing entertainment start-up company hang out with your team? Has a sustainable food blogger enlightened you over lunch, or has a fashion designer inspired your upcoming summer look with a virtual runway? It is accepted wisdom that creativity stems from chance encounters. In some organizations, chance encounters are often embedded in routines among colleagues. At best, you might run into someone you haven’t seen in a while as you grab coffee. But a new workplace trend will ensure that you encounter some radically different people and ideas. Read the rest of this entry »

The same practice, now strengthened with a broader range of related expertise.

For four decades, DEGW has guided organizations on the relationships between people and the design of physical place to enhance organizational performance. This tradition continues on a wider platform, as DEGW becomes the Strategy Plus practice at AECOM.

By Amy Kwok
“Agile, Scrum, Scrummaster.” At first utterance it may sound like a Dungeons and Dragon game but once you get into what agile development really is, it’s really not that foreign and can actually be kind of cool.

In layman’s terms, agile development is about different methods and processes of working which was initially created by software developers in their daily work processes and work with teams. Here in San Francisco and being surrounded by the tech industries, it is no wonder that we’re finding that other groups and industries beyond the tech world are starting to adopt agile development techniques as part of their way of working. Read the rest of this entry »

Dave Collins, Strategic Consultant, DEGW San Francisco
Last Sunday’s Mad Men season five premiere was more than just a welcome back party for the familiar gang at Sterling Cooper Draper Price. It was also a polite conversation on the value of offices in the Modern (read: 1963) workplace. Just as the twits at Y&R were dropping water balloons on the heads of the growing crowds of civil rights protestors, Pete Campbell was bemoaning the fact that his office is simply not big enough to bring in the large clients he now has under his control in the fledgling firm. But before we delve into the quandary Pete finds himself in regards to square footage and load bearing beams, let’s reflect a moment on how far the show has progressed in the realm of workplace design. Read the rest of this entry »